A rat on Mars? A picture taken by NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity, featuring what — according to some — is a “rat”, or possibly a lizard, is currently going viral.
A discriminating eye will no doubt note that the rat on Mars looks a great deal like on a rock on the earth. You can perhaps see how the chance combination of the rock’s shape, the shadows around it, and the placement, could possibly resemble the well-known shape of a rat. But the resemblance is clearly created from a combination of different features — the “tail” appears to be a shadow and a chance “line” in the sand, the space under the “neck” and between the “legs” are indentations, and the “body” wouldn’t even be in the right plane/angle as compared to the landscape around it — it’s a rock.
But for the sake of it, and for fun, let’s go over it all.
The theory appears to have originated with a man in Japan who apparently goes over the photos that NASA releases in great detail — looking for just such a finding. It’s worth noting that this rat is actually a different meme than the squirrel on Mars that was seen back in December. People like the idea of small, fuzzy, cuddly creatures on Mars I guess. Why not a giant polar bear or snake? Oh right, cause there aren’t many rocks that big shaped that way. And for that matter if it was a larger object than the photos wouldn’t be so helpfully fuzzy.
The earlier squirrel on Mars was seen in the “Rocknest” site on the planet — a relatively small distance from this rat — maybe they are buddies? Some web sites have theorized that perhaps the creatures aren’t image artifacts or tricks of the eye/mind, but perhaps intentionally put there by NASA, as an “Easter egg” of sorts I guess. Strange theory, but possible I guess. Don’t know why NASA would bother though.
As a note — it’s kind of interesting when you think about it — the Earth is currently facing the possible extinction of over one half of all multicellular life by the year 2100 — we are currently in the midst of the 6th Great Mass Extinction — and the idea of a single rat or squirrel being found on Mars is what’s getting people’s attention…
Here’s the image without zooming in on the “rat”.
With regards to the Mars rover Curiosity’s real findings — NASA recently announced that the rover uncovered good evidence of past water flows on the Red Planet, and that life may very well have existed then. In particular, a rock sample was analyzed and found to contain the elements “necessary” for supporting life as we know it.
“We have characterized a very ancient, but strangely new ‘gray Mars’ where conditions once were favorable for life,” stated John Grotzinger, Mars Science Laboratory project scientist at the California Institute of Technology. “Curiosity is on a mission of discovery and exploration, and as a team we feel there are many more exciting discoveries ahead of us in the months and years to come.”
In related news, recent research was released documenting the levels of radiation that the Curiosity rover experienced on its way to Mars — and the levels were significant, well above the limits that NASA currently has in place for its astronauts. In order to send humans to Mars without more radiation exposure than NASA protocols currently allow for, significant and improved spacecraft shielding will need to be developed.
tim
“Rodents from another planet”. Yep, I think that could fly as a movie title. Or a band. Or a cereal brand. Is there anything that would not work for?
tim
“Rodents from another planet”. Yep, I think that could fly as a movie title. Or a band. Or a cereal brand. Is there anything that would not work for?
CynConcepts
Looking at the scale of the original NASA image and all of the rock structures in foreground and background…if that is a ‘rat’, it is a big one! Thanks for sharing, a mutant monster-sized rat on Mars seems much more likely than an ordinary sized one depicted in the zoomed in image! Ha ha. 😉
CynConcepts
Looking at the scale of the original NASA image and all of the rock structures in foreground and background…if that is a ‘rat’, it is a big one! Thanks for sharing, a mutant monster-sized rat on Mars seems much more likely than an ordinary sized one depicted in the zoomed in image! Ha ha. 😉
Adam Ruzic
It can’t be real because the living conditions are unbearable
1. The temperature changes DRASTICALLY (-60C to -125C roughly) in the day-night cycle so it would be near impossible to adapt to each temperature daily
2. There might not even be water on Mars but if there is it’s obviously not in contact with this creature
3.Same goes with food.
Adam Ruzic
It can’t be real because the living conditions are unbearable
1. The temperature changes DRASTICALLY (-60C to -125C roughly) in the day-night cycle so it would be near impossible to adapt to each temperature daily
2. There might not even be water on Mars but if there is it’s obviously not in contact with this creature
3.Same goes with food.
Joe
think I smell a rat.
Joe
think I smell a rat.
Joe
I think we just like to talk about it, kinda fun. Deep inside we know.
Joe
I think we just like to talk about it, kinda fun. Deep inside we know.
juju
lol some one put that up there becuz that cant be up there by its self` ““wow
juju
lol some one put that up there becuz that cant be up there by its self` ““wow
Art V.
Ok, Now I see the “rat” in the non-zoomed in picture. It is in the center-bottom. Right in the middle of the tire track.
We said we came in peace – but we have just turned the first evidence of extra terrestrial life into road kill.
Art V.
Ok, Now I see the “rat” in the non-zoomed in picture. It is in the center-bottom. Right in the middle of the tire track.
We said we came in peace – but we have just turned the first evidence of extra terrestrial life into road kill.
Art V.
What they didn’t show was the picture from the same spot 5 min. later and there was no rat….
Art V.
What they didn’t show was the picture from the same spot 5 min. later and there was no rat….
ocerg1111
I saw a cloud today that looked like a camel. MAYBE THERE ARE SKY CAMELS OVER EARTH!!!
ocerg1111
I saw a cloud today that looked like a camel. MAYBE THERE ARE SKY CAMELS OVER EARTH!!!
Floyd Winquist
What freaks me out is that red dashed oval !!
Floyd Winquist
What freaks me out is that red dashed oval !!
Lavacaman
The martian rat looks like a nice photoshop job. The directions of the shadows are mismatched though.
Lavacaman
The martian rat looks like a nice photoshop job. The directions of the shadows are mismatched though.
HardlyBreathing
That ain’t no rat. I recognize it as the gerbil my mother sent to the little pet farm when I was five. She never told me exactly where that farm was located. Now I know.
HardlyBreathing
That ain’t no rat. I recognize it as the gerbil my mother sent to the little pet farm when I was five. She never told me exactly where that farm was located. Now I know.
Millionsix
This is a Nevada desert, not Mars.
Millionsix
This is a Nevada desert, not Mars.
norm1234567
Interesting camouflage, what predator is it hiding from?
norman madden
Interesting camouflage, what predator is it hiding from?
Marc
Sorry, I couldn’t get past all the spelling and grammatical errors.
Zachary Shahan
sucks being obsessed with minutiae, doesn’t it? miss out on so much. (btw, *constructive commentary* is appreciated here… in other words, help people improve, don’t just complain if you want to do something useful.) 😉 😀
David B.
Is there life on Mars?
Marc
Sorry, I couldn’t get past all the spelling and grammatical errors.
Zachary Shahan
sucks being obsessed with minutiae, doesn’t it? miss out on so much. (btw, *constructive commentary* is appreciated here… in other words, help people improve, don’t just complain if you want to do something useful.) 😉 😀
David B.
Is there life on Mars?
dp
Actually, there’s a whale in that picture. Did you see it? Really!
dp
Actually, there’s a whale in that picture. Did you see it? Really!
Art V.
” new ‘gray Mars’ where conditions once were favorable for life”
It was a petrified grey rat. Of course conditions were “favorable for life”
Art V.
” new ‘gray Mars’ where conditions once were favorable for life”
It was a petrified grey rat. Of course conditions were “favorable for life”
smendler
Silly folks – it would have to be a MARS-UPIAL
Ellie Fidler
that was actually pretty funny. 🙂
james
That was the stupidest AND funniest thing I’ve heard in quite some time.
Skip Mendler
Silly folks – it would have to be a MARS-UPIAL
Ellie Fidler
that was actually pretty funny. 🙂
james
That was the stupidest AND funniest thing I’ve heard in quite some time.